Dec. 5 – The United States has set up its first one-way drone attack squadron in the Middle East, using technology and design developed by Iran.
Task Force Scorpion Strike was set up following several drone strikes against U.S. military bases in the region by the Islamic Republic.
The drones were created after developers reverse-engineered an Iranian Shahed drone, which had been captured by the U.S..
An open source investigation by Stanford University said it found “convincing evidence” that school girls in Iran had been poisoned by toxic chemicals following nationwide anti-government and gender equality protests which swept the country in 2022, and in which many young people took part.
The report accused the Iranian government of failing to take proper action and of not carrying out thorough investigations at the time of the incidents.
The researchers also accused Iran’s government of failing to carry out its human rights obligations by either causing the poisonings or failing to prevent them.
And renowned Iranian film director Jafar Panahi was sentenced to two years in prison and given a two year travel ban while attending several film festivals abroad.
Panahi has been repeatedly imprisoned by Iran’s government for producing films about social justice and enquiring about the whereabouts of film producers who were also arrested.
Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning film “It Was Just An Accident” has been entered by France for the 2026 Oscars.
